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Manuel and David Macias papers

 Collection
Identifier: IWA0887

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Scope and Contents

The Manuel and David Macias papers date from 1890 to 1972. They consist primarily of digital images scanned from three binders arranged by Pete Macias, Manuel Macias' son. The first binder focuses on Manuel Macias, and contains photographs of the Macias family, newspaper clippings, community newsletters, biographical information, and ephemera. Two binders illuminate the contribution of Rudolph "Rudy" Macias, another son of Manuel Macias, to World War II. Rudy Macias served as a scout in the 7th Cavalry and 1st Cavalry in the Pacific and Asiatic Theaters and was one of the last of the horse-mounted soldiers to serve in the military. The binders include photographs of Rudy Macias on horseback and telegrams home to his parents in Iowa. The fourth and final binder focuses on the musical career of Pete Macias. Plays and music written by Manuel Macias throughout his life, as well as a small number of newsletters produced by the Muscatine council of the Midwest La Raza Unida, complete the collection. The full extent of the Manuel and David Macias collection is preserved in the Iowa Digital Library.

Dates

  • Creation: 1890-2009

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been retained by the donor.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Brothers and community leaders David and Manuel Macias were born in Zacatecas, Mexico, in 1885 and 1890, respectively. David Macias, an accomplished musician, had originally planned on becoming a priest. But after the Mexican Revolution derailed his plan, he began working as a chemist for an American mining company with operations in Mexico. After several business trips that took him north of the border, he decided to permanently emigrate to the U.S. Among the first Mexicans to live in the Quad Cities, he arrived in Bettendorf in 1914, and found work at the Bettendorf Car Company. Manuel Macias did not immediately accompany his brother to the U.S. He married Guadalupe Perez, also from Zacatecas, in 1912 and joined David Macias in Bettendorf in 1915.

During World War I, the Macias brothers went to Juarez, Mexico, to recruit Mexicans to work in the Bettendorf Company foundries in order to help fill the labor shortage caused by U.S. entry into the war. The brothers served as leaders to these recent arrivals to the Mexican barrio known as Holy City adjacent to the Bettendorf Company. David Macias spoke English fluently, and acted as a translator and "go-between" for those who did not.

In 1918, the brothers learned of a community of Mexicans living nearby in a barrio in Silvis, Illinois, called La Yarda. Manuel Macias volunteered to teach music to local adults and children, and converted two railroad boxcars into a rehearsal hall and storage space for band instruments. In 1927, the Silvis rehearsal hall became Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, a place of worship as well as a community gathering point for Mexicans on both sides of the Mississippi River.

Extent

2.50 linear inches

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Brothers who emigrated to Bettendorf, Iowa, from Zacatecas, Mexico, in 1914 and 1915.

Arrangement

The full extent of the Manuel and David Macias collection is preserved in the Iowa Digital Library.

Method of Acquisition

The papers (donor no. 1344) were donated by Pete Macias in 2014.

Related Materials

Ernest Rodriguez papers, IWA

LULAC Council 10 records, IWA.

Author
Catherine Babikian
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)